Dushen Tang

Dushen Tang

Two liang of ginseng.

Decocted strongly and consumed slowly before bed. It nourishes the yin of the stomach, protects the qi, and prevents qi from escaping, thus preventing blood from rushing out. People often substitute it with codonopsis, believing it to be a yang-tonifying herb, but they don’t realize that ginseng is soft, moist, and sweet-cold, a medicine that nourishes the middle jiao’s body fluids. The body’s true qi is born in the kidneys and depends entirely on yin water; it is delivered to the lungs, where it is also nourished by water. Therefore, when the kidneys have enough yin water, the qi is abundant and breathing is gentle; when the lungs have enough water, the qi is abundant and breathing is calm. Ginseng nourishes the middle jiao’s body fluids, distributes them to the lungs, and sends them back to the kidneys, thus benefiting both the lungs and the kidneys. Many people don’t realize that qi is transformed from water, yet they mistakenly think it belongs to the yang category and label ginseng as a yang-tonifying herb. Fortunately, Chen Xiuyuan clarified this misconception, pointing out that vigorous fire consumes qi, while ginseng reduces vigorous fire and thus replenishes qi. However, this explanation still has gaps, as people haven’t fully grasped the principle that qi is essentially water. I have discussed this in detail in my general introduction. It is important to understand that qi is water, and this is the true nature of ginseng.

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